Drowning in a Nightmare
by Lightning-Dono
Summary: Bakura is back, with a thirst for blood...But what more could happen after Yugi's Yami goes bad?
1. Transformation

[Dislaimer] I DO NOT OWN YUUGIOU (YU-GI-OH) OR ANY OF THE TRADEMARKED CHARACTERS OF THAT SERIES! I DON'T CLAIM A BIT OF IT! (Except for the idea for the fic) But otherwise...You can't sue me! =D   
  
Lightning-Dono: Anyways, a taste of my darker and more angsty writing. I've never written something quite as dark, so some events can be quite drastic since I don't have a grip on what I'm writing since I don't write on a violent and dark subject very often, so I don't have a grasp of it yet. ^^;  
  
Ryou: Can't this be a happy fanfic? I always get hurt. T_T  
  
Lightning-Dono: *glomp* Dun worry. It'll lighten up towards the end. And you won't be hurt. I promise to give you a happy ending. ^^  
  
Ryou: Sankyuuuuuu...^.O  
  
Lightning-Dono: Yes, yes...  
  
Quatre: Am I in it?  
  
Lightning-Dono: HUH!? You're supposed to be in a Gundam Wing fic!  
  
Quatre: I know.  
  
Lightning-Dono: Then what are you doing here?  
  
Quatre: Geez, don't have to be so angry...  
  
Lightning-Dono: I'm not angry. Now get your pinkness out of here. ^^;  
  
Quatre: ..;  
  
  
  
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Yugi was sitting there, watching Joey in deep thought...Then Joey suddenly grabbed the Millenium Puzzle off of Yugi's neck! The chains rattled as Yugi sat there, spacing out...until he felt the weight lift from his heck.  
  
"Hey, wait a sec, give me that back, Joey!" Yugi screamed, pulling tomatoes from his pocket, hiding them concealingly beneath the table he was sitting by. But he still watched in horror as the spirit of Yami Yugi channeled into Joey's body. Suddenly, Joey looked several thousand years older and deep wrinkled appeared on his once smooth forehead.   
  
"Yeh, Yuge, is dis going to be the day! I can't wait to tell Serenity dat I can soon become a Pharoah!" Joey pumped a fist into the air enthusiastically, not exactly getting the point.   
  
"Um, Joey? You might want to see this." Yugi grabbed Joey's arm and dragged into a restroom nearby, Joey acting as though he were a statue, practicing different poses.   
  
Yugi released his hand from Joey's arm and let Joey take a peek into the mirror. "Aw, no way!" Joey said, wide-eyed and goggling at his image in the mirror. "Holy crap...How can I let Serenity see me like this? AND TRISTAN!? He'll laugh the crap out of him...and we don't wanna see that, do we, now?" Yugi secretly hid his pleasure at seeing Joey like this. It'd been so long since Joey started acting tough. In the past few months, they'd only be picking fights on Malik's rare hunters...And they weren't much, anyway.   
  
Joey walked from his image. "No way. No way am I going out there and make myself look like-," "But I'm sure people won't mind as long as you're Pharoah...Isn't that right?" Joey sighed impatiently. "You don't understand, darn it! This is horrible!" Joey gestured towards his reflection, removed the Millenium Puzzle and he instantly became his younger self. "Dang, I guess these things are no use to me. I don't want to look old..." Joey stopped as he heard a loud groan from the stall behind them and then a relaxful "Ah...". "Someone must be having the time of there lives in there," Joey remarked with great disgust.  
  
Suddenly, Tristan emerged from the stall, rubbing his head with relief. "Whew, that was--," he stopped as he saw Joey and Yugi freeze in fear. He knew they had certainly been listening in on one of his 'moments'. Tristan completely forgot to wash his hands, but raised his head, let out a surprisingly high-pitched scream and ran out of the restroom. Joey continued to stare at the door which was swinging back and forth as if he couldn't believe what he just saw and heard. 


	2. Surprise

Lightning-Dono: I'm editing these chapters, so much stay put. =P  
  
-----  
  
Joey and Yugi walked outside and Yugi gripped his Millenium Necklace tightly. He couldn't believe that Joey was trying to do this because of power, good-looks, anything...Yami Joey was much to scary and way too comical. They were half way home when Joey stumbled over a rock on purpose.   
  
"I forgot to visit Serenity!" Joey shouted as he landed on the ground.   
  
"But I thought Serenity has her bandages off now," Yugi said, puzzled. Joey shook his head.   
  
"I mean Ryou! I always visit Serenity, so I forget...Ryou got beat up BAD by his Yami the last few days and he now has internal bleeding and he covered head to foot in bruises." Joey said this whole thing as if it were more than anyone could ever hope for to be covered head to toe in bruises the size of ripe plums.   
  
"Oh yes! I forgot!" Yugi grabbed Joey's arm and dragged him towards the hospital.  
  
"Ryou Bakura is in room 27, B-wing," the nurse at the counter said, flipping through a colorful binder with a dreamy look in her steel blue eyes. Joey ran to the B-wing and ended up in Ryou's room...And Ryou wasn't there. Tea was sitting there, failing to notice that Joey and Yugi were standing there, wondering what she was doing.   
  
Yugi walked slowly up to Tea and tapped her on the shoulder. Tea turned her head, her clear blue eyes now tinted with black and the colors swirled together--she was being posessed by an evil spirit.   
  
"TEA!" Yugi screamed, and shook Tea as hard as he could. Joey stood the corner silently, staring in shock at Tea's blank expression. Yugi gave up and tried to consult his Millenium Puzzle for help on how to clear out the situation...But Yami wasn't in there.   
  
"Hm...That's funny. Yami isn't coming out of the Millenium Puzzle..."   
  
"Maybe he fell down a pit in there for good," Joey joked lamely, sniffing loudly. Yugi ignored the pathetic joke and returned to trying to figure out what was going on with Yami.   
  
Slowly, a voice came from Tea's quivering lips. Joey and Yugi turned their heads towards her. "I...shall...conquer...all...and...rid...the...world....of...good...and...evil...so...I...may...reign...over...the...land..." Tea's voice and lips moved more freely towards the end. Yugi recognized the voice talking in the background.   
  
It was Yami's. 


	3. Yami is Gone

Yugi backed away, shaking his hands foolishly infront of him, quaking with unsuspected fear. What would he do without his Yami? Yami had helped him through such tough times, it was so hard to believe that he would be leaving him forever...alone. "  
  
Why...?" Was the only question Yugi could get out of his tight throat without choking.   
  
"Yugi..." The voice called from Tea, who was emotionless, but with a hidden pain. Yugi stared back, his neck feeling heavier and his large eyes welling with tears that he had never knew existed. Joey was still frozen in the corner, arms crossed, his eyes staring at Tea.   
  
"Yugi, didn't you know?" Yami's calm, deep voice continued...It was calming before, but now it was a scary, evil voice that emitted from Tea's mouth, flowing out like poison would pulse through the veins of the victim bitten.   
  
"K-Know what? I don't understand..." Yugi felt so helpless, so unconfident, that Yami almost felt sorry for this poor, blundering boy spouting tears infront of him...But not sorry enough.   
  
"Yugi, I'm a gambler. I play with people's minds, their lives...Then I give it all back. I give back their lives and once they've grown to trust me, they can't live without me. You took a chance in putting together the puzzle. The day you put it together, I never knew that we would live this way--You can me, battling side-by-side against the toughest of opponents...It wasn't the way this was all meant to be. It was supposed to be a trick for fools...Believe it or not, I've put your life on the line along with so many others..." Yami's voice cracked.  
  
"But Yugi, you didn't realize this...you didn't understand. To you, it was just another selfless act to save the world. But guess what? I'm a Pharoah, not a valiant hero trying to save the world from danger. I've never sacrificed myself for anyone until I met you and found myself in you. I was a confused Pharaoh, completely unsteady and always failing my people. It was how you felt. Always feeling like you were in-debt to others around you. You're not, but the thought I want to leave you with is that you never want to become what I have. I lost my power thousands of countless years ago, due to a softness in which I shouldn't have used while battling for power. I became, cold...isolated...selfish...Suidical. I didn't want to live without the power I had gained, and lost in a battle that I would never have won anyway. I was a fool."   
  
By now, even Joey was listening. He walked over to Yugi, and held onto Yugi's shoulders tightly.   
  
"So whaddya mean by all dis? Does dis mean that you're just givin' up on Yuge like dat?" Yami nodded Tea's head, to reply as a yes.   
  
"It's not like I'm not interested in you and your little friend's' interests...But I had a life of my own that I never lived because of my failure. I will never be able to rest peacefully until this happens. It's like a flower...Wilting until I can get the water without help...I'm dead, but I must chanel through another body to cover up. I've used you too much Yugi." He stretched out Tea's mouth into a sickly smile that made Yugi want to vomit. "It'd be unfair to put you through this. Goodbye..." The Millenium Necklace dissolved from Yugi's neck slowly and vanished, appearing in Tea's hands. Tea tucked it inside her pocket and there, they watched, as Tea's mindless body left with Yami's spirit. 


	4. Horror

Lighnting-Dono: Bakura is Ryou's YAMI, just to let you all know! And I thank you all I got this far! It's not much, but I hope that I've made this one long enough for your enjoyement. ;  
  
Lightning-Dono: Mweh...Joey is so awesome...Should I turn this fic into a PG-13?  
  
Joey: NO MORE FANGIRLS!   
  
Lightning-Dono: . . HOW CUTE!  
  
Joey: !!   
  
Lightning-Dono: Oh, and if you're a non-violence person, don't read this chapter.   
  
Joey: No, I like violence.  
  
Lightning-Dono: I don't.  
  
Joey: Then why'd you write it?   
  
Lightning-Dono: Because it fits the theme of the story and went along with the plot.  
  
Joey: Hey, why am I BEAT UP IN IT!?  
  
Lightning-Dono: It's not that bad. You got kicked.  
  
Joey: TT   
  
Yugi wasn't touched. He felt hurt, pity and anger inside him. He jerked away from Joey's grasp and ran out of the room, crying.   
  
"What have I done wrong!?" He yelled.   
  
"Where did Ryou go? Was he hurt because of Bakura?" Yugi choked slightly as he felt the mucus flow into his throat. Joey was running in a paced manner after Yugi, panting.   
  
"Okay, your legs are shorter than mine and I'm letting Yami's, er, decision get to me, but really, shouldn't we be doing something besides worrying about how Ryou is?"   
  
Yugi's eyes flashed violently. "No. Ryou is hurt, he's not in the hospital and he must be bleeding inside OUT by now!"   
  
"Yes, but-," Joey's voice faltered as Yugi's turned upon him again in distant rage.   
  
"BUT NOTHING! HE COULD BE HURT RIGHT NOW! HE COULD BE KILLED...Well, hopefully not, BUT HE COULD BE ON THE EDGE OF DEATH!" Joey shrugged and indicated for Yugi to start running.  
  
They eventually arrived at Ryou's house...it was evening. Ryou was a transfer student from Britain and he didn't really have his parents with him anywhere other than in his heart, so it was like home...away from home. They heard torturous yells and panicking cries from inside, and altogether, everything went silent. Yugi's eyes became wider and the hair on the back of Joey's neck lifted unintentionally.   
  
"Let's...anou...go in...?" Yugi whispered in a frightened voice, his tri-colored hair waving precaiously towards the window in which it could be seen. Joey gulped loudly and nodded.  
  
Once inside, they closed the smoothly designed door without any creakiness. "Dang, Yuge, what did they DO to dis place?" Joey asked in awe in a quiet voice. Yugi shrugged as they crept along the dark, corridor. Not very long after, they came across a door in which they could hear quiet sobbing from. They knelt beside the door quietly, listening.  
  
"Poor sweet Ryou, aren't we enjoying this? Or do you plan to be a pathetic weakling for the rest of your worthless life?" Asked Bakura in a taunting voice.   
  
"N-no...please stop..." Ryou's voice cracked and they heard him sniffing.   
  
"STOP YOUR SNIFFING!" Bakura snapped dangerously, and from the keyhole, Yugi could see Bakura kick Ryou in the leg so much, there was a loud crack. Ryou cried out in pain, his large brown eyes filled with pain.   
  
"W-why?" He asked before clutching his leg from the pain jolting through it.   
  
"Ryou, you're like a delicate flower...So easy to torture. Take you away from the ground and pluck the life out of you slowly...It's how it is with you. Always complaining. Always upset. Too kind to admit that you need something. I'm trying to knock some toughness into you, you baka!"   
  
"Bakura is kind of evil," Joey said as it though it took a genius to figure all of this out.   
  
"Very observant, Joey," Yugi replied without much enthusiasm as he saw Bakura's sick expression as he grinned at Ryou.   
  
"That guy is a sicko..." Tea's voice said from behind them. Joey and Yugi whipped around to find her standing there, smiling serenely.   
  
"What happened? Yami Yugi just made me toss the Millenium Puzzle over the railing into some forest somewhere. That's the only thing I remember from yesterday. Watcha gaping at?" Tea shoved them both out of the way and peered through the keyhole.   
  
"Yes, the sicko I was talking about. Bakura. What does he think he's doing?" She stomped her foot and the ceiling crumbled and they could even feel the fragments falling on them.   
  
"Tea, don't be so loud!" Yugi said hurridly, but they were too late. Bakura approached them through the keyhole.   
  
"Hm, spies, are we?" He opened the door and grinned evilly, his knife used for self-mutilation in one hand, blood on the tip. Tea gasped and walked backwards quickly, landing in an open broom closet.   
  
"Y-Yugi...P-P-Please help me, Yugi..." Ryou reached out his hand helplessly, a look of longing in his eyes.   
  
"YOU! Stop waving around your hand. You look ridiculous. Only weaklings need help!" He stabbed Ryou in the shoulder, not holding back.   
  
"EWWWWW! URGH!" Tea screamed and ran from the house just as Bakura withdrew the knife from Ryou's shoulder with a great satisfaction, licking the knife. Joey's eyes widened, picking up on what was happening.   
  
"I don't kill...I simply seek blood and rare flesh..." He used the knife to cut into a finger and suck it. Yugi cringed and shook uncontrollably. How did Ryou live in this enviroment? Yugi could see Ryou covering his eyes in fear and he drooped, looking much lighter than before.   
  
"DAMN! Don't give in to the pain, Ryou!" Joey shouted, scrambling up, grabbing the knife from Bakura's tough grip and chucking it into the wall. "I'm going to kick some serious Bakura butt, but I need to save Ryou, first!"   
  
Bakura was furious. He licked his fingers greedily, jumped up and kicked Joey in the back so hard he was sent flying into the wall.   
  
"JOEY!" Yugi screamed, tears flying from his eyes. He couldn't take all of this in. His best friend was half-conscious and hurt and Ryou...his other friend, well, he was giving up. Yugi wanted to believe this was the end. It was so painful...He wasn't hurt, but he didn't want to see what was coming next.   
  
Bakura retrieved his knife from the wall with great rage.   
  
"How dare that little blondie touch my knife!" Bakura shouted.   
  
"As if that knife is so big a deal..." Yugi managed to get back on his feet. Bakura turned around, facing Yugi and his eyes narrowed into slits.   
  
"Little Yugi...What are you going to do now with your friends hurt? What will you do when you're hurt? But of course, I will never be able to kill you...You posesses the power of the Pharoah...and I can't let you all rot here and die...Where else will I get the flesh and blood I survive off of?" Bakura licked his thin lips hungrily and dove for Yugi. Joey raised his head just in time to see Bakura bite into the back of Yugi's neck. "No..." Joey lost consciousness. Bakura sucked in the blood without hesitation. "Not as good as Ryou's...But he needs blood to live."   
  
"I no longer have the Millenium P-Puzzle," Yugi spluttered as blood came into his mouth and he had to talk through it. The taste of blood was digusting. How did Bakura find the strength and time to love this stuff? Bakura loosened his tight grip around Yugi.   
  
"Delicious...But, I wish for the Millenium Puzzle." He grabbed Yugi by the collar. "WHERE IS IT, YOU IDIOT!?" Yugi choked and spat blood into Bakura's grayish-white hair.   
  
"It's with Seto," Yugi lied. Bakura let Yugi go with a happiness Yugi had only seen when he had been sucking blood.   
  
"Yes...Seto. Typical of him to have such a valuable item." Bakura left in a flash.  
  
It was then that Yugi realized how much that lie was going to cost him...And how much harm it would do to Seto Kaiba. 


	5. Something about TeaAnzu

Lightning-Dono: Okay, onto Chapter 5! My computer is being a baka and appears to wish to remain that way since I can't view Chapter 4 at this moment unless I type in the URL. ..;  
  
Joey: Serves ya right for making me get my butt totally kicked!  
  
Lightning-Dono: Correction-you got you BACK totally kicked...  
  
Joey: THAT ISN'T FUNNY!  
  
Ryou: Why can't we all just get along? innocent smile   
  
Lightning-Dono: Because he indicates Joey REFUSES to get along! :-(  
  
Ryou: Joey, let's all get along.  
  
Joey: That's the corniest thing I've ever heard.  
  
Ryou: PWEEEEAAASSEEE!? Why can't we all get along?!  
  
Lightning-Dono: As much as I'd like you all to get along...well...Enough is enough, guys. On with the show!  
  
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From Yugi's POV (Point of View)  
  
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"Yuge, wake up!" A voice pleaded. Arms shaking me. I woke up, dizzy and astounded by what I had remembered. The last time I had been knocked out, remembering anything was more than I could ever hope for. I guess I had fainted after I had lied to Bakura and he had left.   
  
"Joey..." I looked up at him. Joey's face came into view. 20/20 vision had always been quite useful. A while ago, it was more like 0/20, but that wasn't the point. "Joey, where'd Bakura go?" I asked.   
  
"How should I know?" He asked disdainfully, looking as though he regretted ever trying to revive me.   
  
"Just curious. I lied to him," I confided to Joey, who didn't seem at all surprised.   
  
"I lie a lot too, you shouldn't have to worry." Joey rubbed the back of his neck nervously.   
  
"I don't lie a lot like you do! I just did what I had to...And now Seto is in trouble!" I got up and brushed myself off. I was somehow covered in stuff from the crumbling ceiling.   
  
"That nutcase it always in trouble. It wouldn't matter either way." Joey grinned, but I shoved him off and walked towards the door.   
  
"By the way," I turned around. "Where did Ryou go?" I was curious to know this, since Ryou hadn't been seen since I had woken up, and he had a habit of turning up in odd places at odd times due to his Yami.   
  
"Well...I don't know DAT, either." Joey laughed nervously and followed me out. Sometimes I wished Joey would stop acting so fake and get a more realistic perspective about life. Nothing seemed important to him besides Serenity. Well, almost.  
  
We were walking outside when we encountered Bandit Keith.   
  
"Not you again," I said in a voice full of attitude, which was most unlike me. He stopped me with his arm. I was short, but I wasn't about to act like a big, or rather, small pushover.   
  
"I want to duel," Keith replied stubbornly.   
  
"Dat's great. Find someone else to duel and leave us alone," Joey replied loudly from somewhere behind me, grabbed my shoulders and pushed me along through the crowd of people in the city as though I was in a wagon and he was pushing me along.   
  
The next person we found was Tea, who was eating ice cream...Ice cream at a time like this? Didn't she know that someone was in danger? Then again, she didn't need to be involved. I didn't feel like holding a cheerleading squad. I tried to indicate to Joey that I didn't want her tagging along--but it was too late. He was already strutting up to her like a proud father, tapping her on the shoulder, making her drop her ice cream, laughing, and dragging her off in my direction. I would've given anything to just disappear into the crowd, but a person with yellow, magenta and black hair can't get very far in a crowd, even it they're short. I just didn't want her stubborness to come along with me. I'd demand her to do something and she'd say no.   
  
"Here, Yuge, your girlfriend." Joey pushed Tea at me. Both of them towered over me, but even so, I felt a bit tougher.   
  
"She's not my girlfriend," I said calmly. Tea grabbed my hand and I jerked back. "Why do you have to come with me everywhere, Tea? You're my friend, but I just don't want this romantic stuff. We're too young for that! I'm not ready!" Tea looked awfully puzzled.   
  
"All right, Yugi, let's just go. Grabbing ones hand doesn't mean they want to share a relationship." I scowled at Joey, who grinned back in an apoligetic manner.  
  
I was still fuming by the time we got to the hospital, but something feel right. Tea seemed too close to me, which was starting to freak me out, even though she'd been closer, but...well...It didn't feel like it did now. Everyone else seemed so distant. Joey, who was trailing at my heels seemed miles away. I guess my thoughts were consumed with Tea and her freakish actions. Grabbing my hand...But I guess it was what Joey said that bothered me the most. Tea wasn't my girlfriend...I hadn't made anything too obvious, had I? I mean, lately whenever Joey mentioned a girl (since he's a guy who jokes a lot and seems to have an altered perspective about life), it sounded like he expected me to like her. I knew I had to grow up SOMEDAY...I just didn't want to and I was letting go and losing so much of the fun I used to have...  
  
"Hey, Yugi, watch out!" Joey shouted into my dreamland, and I came back to my senses, running into the corner of the front counter.   
  
"Ouch," I said, feeling a strong sense of stupidity.   
  
"C'mon, you lazy guy! Let's get going to Ryou's room! They say he's just checked in...I guess Bakura checked in for him." Tea dragged me into Ryou's room, which was slightly unsanitary. It looked like the police had just been through it. Clothes were everywhere, Ryou was staring off to the wall distantly, staring through a maze of tubes. I felt very sorry for him. Bakura was an abusive Yami, but no one would've expected THAT abusive. What he did to me was gross and obnoxious. Tea pulled up a chair right infront of the both of us, as though she was the only one who deserved one. To rub more salt into the wound, there was only 1 chair in the room...And she was in it.   
  
"Yugi...I'm sorry," Ryou said quietly, his voice muffled from the blankets which he had seemed to have intentionally places over his mouth for comfort.   
  
"No, it's okay...It's not your fault."  
  
"He could've atleast done something!" Joey insisted, sounding more arrogant than usual.   
  
"He couldn't do anything, and stop going to back to your old, bullying self," I said sternly, patted Ryou's arm and watched him doze off.  
  
Suddenly, a man in a black suit came in. He wore sunglasses that seemed to have been smeared by his fingers.   
  
"Yugi! Seto Kaiba is in trouble!" He shouted, jolting Ryou out of his dozing.   
  
"W-what is going on?" He asked.   
  
"It doesn't concern ya," Joey replied tensely and stood up with stiff legs from kneeling down on the hard floor. Tea sat there silently. I turned around.   
  
"Well?" I said, expecting a more exciting reaction.   
  
"Well what?" She shot back with an edge to her voice.   
  
"Well, are you coming or not?" I asked impatiently.   
  
"Well, what do you know, I'd love to come!" She set down the phone number list she had been looking through, patted Ryou's hair, and left with us.   
  
TBC...  
  
R&R please! ; 


	6. Bakura's Musical Passion

Lightning-Dono: Wowies! Chapter 6!  
  
Joey: I hope I do better in fights in this one.  
  
Lightning-Dono: I don't know--I make everything up as I go along!  
  
Joey: Well, you shouldn't.  
  
Tea: Stop sounding so spoiled.  
  
Lightning-Dono: oo; Okay, guys, just stop and let's keep going. Oh, and this is supposed to be a strategic chapter, but I'm not very good with strategy, so bear with me here.   
  
I'm using Japanese names in this chapter and on, because I'm starting to hate the name switches.  
  
Yugi Moto--Yuugi Mutou  
  
Yami no Yuugi--Yami Yuugi (I know that other thing he's called, and it's way too long. xD)  
  
Joey Wheeler--Jounouchi Katsuya (Jounouchi OR Jou for short)  
  
Duke--Otougi   
  
Serenity Wheeler--Kawai Shizuka  
  
Ryou Bakura--Ryou Bakura  
  
Seto Kaiba--Kaiba Seto  
  
Tea Gardner--Anzu Mazaki  
  
Mai Valentine--Mai Kajuku (?)  
  
Tristan Taylor--Honda Hiroto  
  
-----  
  
Jounouchi panicked greatly as he saw the large man.   
  
"What?" Yuugi asked unconcernedly as they followed the formal-suited man.   
  
"He works for Kaiba!" Jounouchi yelled.  
  
"My, my, how observant," Anzu replied without much care.   
  
"Well, incase you haven't noticed, Kaiba once nearly finished Yuge here off with a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and he has these creepy, evil eyes." Jounouchi used his hands and fingers to try and make the shape of Kaiba's eyes.   
  
"Call him Seto, Jounouchi. If you call him Kaiba, you could be talking about Gozaburo, Noa, Mokuba...anybody."   
  
Anzu rolled her eyes as they left the building with Jounouchi acting like a chicken when it's time came to be butchered.  
  
They arrived at Kaiba Corp. Or rather, a ransacked Kaiba Corp shrouded in dark mist, which was a sign that Bakura had arrived and was already on the scene. Yuugi had already noticed that whenever Bakura was close and feeling evil, black mist would trail him and shroud the things around him.   
  
"We have to act quickly," Yuugi said, pulling them together in a huddle. The man who had been leading them didn't seem to notice.   
  
"I hear something from that hallway over there." Yuugi pointed towards a hallway to their left.   
  
"No, we don't hear anything over dere. Forget about it, Yuge!" Jounouchi trembled in uncertaintanty and fear.   
  
"We have nothing to lose, Jou," Yuugi said.  
  
"Pffft. Maybe you don't, but I do! I'll lose you, Shizuka and EVERYTHING!"   
  
"Well, let's go anyway."  
  
The gang trudged towards the hall to their left with only Yuugi alert.   
  
"I don't get it," Honda suddenly said. He hadn't said anything the whole time.  
  
"What?" Jounouchi turned his head to the side, watching his brown-haired friend.  
  
"Why did we leave Shizuka with Otougi-kun?"   
  
"How should I know!?" Jounouchi started to speed walk. Then, he turned around to face Honda.  
  
"Well, if he corrupts her mind with his smug ways, I'll eat ya because you're da one who left her there with him!" Honda backed away slowly.  
  
"I know you like eating, but isn't this going a bit too far?"  
  
Eventually, they reached a polished door with loud heavy metal music going on. Yuugi tried the door knob, nodded, and opened the door. Inside was the strangest sight they had ever seen. Yami Bakura was sitting there with a CD Player and he was listening to the music. Something struck Yuugi like a lightning bolt.   
  
"Wait! How come you have your own body now?" Yuugi recalled seeing Bakura inside a body on the day he had been having one of his bad days and doing his cutting for blood.  
  
"It's called 'technology'. And don't bug me while I'm feeling nice." He turned up the volume.  
  
"DANG! NOT EVEN -I- TURN UP MY MUSIC THIS LOUD!" Jounouchi shouted.  
  
"Wait a sec!" Yuugi pranced over and turned down the volume, staring at the Yami, his face slowly changing colors like a chameleon...But all of the senses seemed to be tuned into the color red.   
  
"No, wait...How'd you get a body?" Yuugi backed away from Bakura, who looked as though he could punch holes through a cement block.  
  
"That's for me to know and you to find out. Why do you want to know anyways?"  
  
"Because it might help me..." Yuugi's voice faltered. Help him with what? All his life had led to was the leaving of his Yami, everyone growing up so much faster than him and leaving him behind.   
  
----Flashback (This isn't a real flash back, okay? I just made it up.)----  
  
Yami: Aibou...I'll never leave you, no matter what.  
  
Yuugi: Arigatou. That's the best news I've heard all day!   
  
Yami: -smiling- I'm glad you think so...I love you, Yuugi.  
  
Yuugi: And I you.   
  
----END FLASHBACK----  
  
Yugi nearly started breaking down infront of Bakura, who was trying to figure out how to change tracks. Jounouchi walked casually up to the Yami, who was losing patience, which was not what one should do while one of your worst enemies in the world is getting angrier by the moment.  
  
"Here, baka--,"  
  
"No, Jounouchi, don't call him that!" Anzu screamed.  
  
"...dis is how ya change tracks. See? Easy-peasy." Jounouchi said, as if Bakura wasn't giving him a look as though he were about to kill him.  
  
"Shimatta! I know how to do it myself!" Bakura smacked Jounouchi across the face, leaving a shining red mark.   
  
"Aw, hey, is dat how you treat me for helping you, ya big ungrateful brat?" Jounouchi pointed an accusing finger at Bakura, clutching his face with his other hand.  
  
"Jounouchi, don't push it!" Anzu was staring at them, wide-eyed.  
  
"Huh? It'd bad enough that ya don't thank me, but ya ignore me, too!" Jounouchi was ignoring everything Anzu was saying. Honda was standing there in one corner, sweating his head off out of fear and anxiety.   
  
"I SAID I CAN DO IT MYSELF!" Bakura pressed the button on the CD player rapidly to represent the fact that she knew how to do it himself, resulting in the button falling off.  
  
"Haha, serves ya right, ya big, fat--Anzu!?" Jounouchi was highly surprised as Anzu pulled him backwards, a hand clamped over his mouth tightly and bracelets rattling.  
  
"Jounouchi-kun! What do you think you're doing? He could kill you!"   
  
"Sumaisen, but it's his fault if he's so ungrateful!"  
  
Yuugi shook his head.   
  
"Let's just leave, minna. We need to figure something out."  
  
They left, Anzu and Jounouchi still bickering and closed the door on Bakura, who looked slightly disgruntled by the situation.  
  
Yuugi gathered them all into a circle.  
  
"Guys, don't you think it's weird about how Bakura has his own body? I mean...He need's Ryou's so...I'm a bit curious about what's going on."  
  
"Honto? I don't really care, actually. It's not a big deal. But I'm curious about what Kaiba's up to."  
  
Yuugi stared at Honda, who suddenly had an unusual, thoughtful look on his face.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Kaiba's always up to something."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"EXACTLY! Now let's hurry before-,"  
  
A guard walked up to them and cast them all a dirty look.  
  
"Ohayou," Anzu said automatically to the guard, trying to soften up the look on his face.  
  
"Hmph." The guard walked on down the hall, not bothering to look back through his dark glasses.  
  
"There's someone ya can't please," Jounouchi remarked loudly as the group continued on their way.  
  
In the lobby, they heard something.  
  
"Kuso!" A loud crashing noise proceeded.  
  
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Kaiba was yelling at one of his workers...again.   
  
"Man, he never gives his workers a break, does he?" Honda eyed the staircase before them warily, expecting someone to tumble down.  
  
"Matte, Kaiba-san! I will process it into the database! You just have to-,"  
  
"I gave you a whole HOUR to do this! What were you doing all this time?"  
  
"Onegai! I will finish it, Kaiba-san!"  
  
"No! You're fired, you irresponsible idiot!" A noise that sounded like Kaiba kicking someone followed.  
  
"ITAI!" A man fell from above and crashed into Otougi.  
  
"Agh! This is the last straw with 'Kaiba-san'. Yeesh, he messed up my hair!" Otougi rubbed his head and got up slowly as Honda helped pull the man off his back.  
  
"Daijobu desu ka?" Anzu asked kindly, leaning down.  
  
"Iie." The man got up, holding his leg in immense pain. "There's something wrong with Kaiba-san." The man adjusted his dark glasses and turned to the group.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"His eyes have suddenly been very dull lately. He doesn't seem to be quite as energetic on the inside than on the outside. I mean, he just looks kind of...blank."  
  
Yuugi looked panicked.   
  
"This could only mean one thing!"  
  
"Nani?"  
  
Yuugi paused for a sec.  
  
"Malik is here." 


	7. Lesson in Life

Lightning-Dono: Aha! Next chapter--  
  
Jou: Bakura is tougher than I am. =(  
  
Lightning-Dono: You're tougher than he'll ever be.   
  
Jou: But...He ACTS tougher! I mean--the way he talks.  
  
Lightning-Dono: You don't want to talk like him. He has language issues.  
  
Jou: Whaddaya mean? I do, too!   
  
Lightning-Dono: Listen closely to him sometime and you'll see what I mean. ..; And I know you do, but you don't have as much as he does. And don't follow Kaiba's example when he's mad, either. Man, that guy needs to calm down a bit!  
  
OH! And guys...In this chapter I got rid of Jounouchi's Brooklyn accent (only present in the dub version).  
  
SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG! After writing down a description for this fanfic in my profile, I suddenly got struck by inspiration. =P   
  
-----  
  
Honda stopped in mid-step and half tripped.  
  
"What does that mean, exactly? Yami Malik CAN'T be back! You kicked his butt back at Alcatraz Tower!"  
  
Yuugi shook his head.  
  
"That doesn't mean he's gone for good. He'll never be gone for good, due to the fact that Bakura has access to the Shadow Realm and can bring him back anytime he wants."  
  
"Does this explain anything?" Jounouchi scratched his head, even though his head generally didn't itch.  
  
"Look, Bakura has his own body now. Who do you think he might've gotten it from?"  
  
"Yami Malik?"  
  
"Yami Malik and Bakura must've had a deal. Bakura gets him out of the Shadow Realm, he makes Bakura a fitting body."  
  
Jounouchi shook his head.  
  
"No wonder Mr. Psycho back there had red eyes. Must be from the fact that he couldn't make himself his own body." Jounouchi snorted rudely.  
  
"But you all must go save Kaiba-san," the worker said, making exaggerated pain expressions on his face.  
  
"Will do," Yuugi said lightly. "Honda, would you mind getting this guy to a safer place? This isn't the ideal place to be while you're injured."   
  
"Okay. Up you go...anou..."  
  
"Matsuruu."  
  
"Matsuruu-san." Honda and the man exited the building.   
  
"Now that that's taken care of, I suppose we should go check on Kaiba. It's not like him to kick workers out like that."  
  
Jou started pulling faces. "What do you mean it's not like him? It's completely in his nature to do so!"  
  
"CURSE IT TO THE SHADOWS!" Kaiba was shrieking as Yuugi and the others passed a very small, but radiantly colored, potted plant.   
  
"Uh, does anyone have any clue what he's supposed to be 'cursing to the Shadows'?" Jou asked.  
  
Yuugi then lost his temper, which had been growing quite thin ever since Yami had left him. "Who the heck cares?" He snapped angrily at Jounouchi, who, on instinct, lept out of the way as though he were escaping the jaws of an alligator.  
  
"Chill out, Yuugi. I was just kidding."   
  
"Now isn't the time to be making idiotic jokes," Anzu pointed out to him as they continued along the corridor, which was painted a cool metallic blue that gave Yuugi the impression that they were walking in a corrider made of ice.  
  
"This guy knows how to decorate a building," Jou observed, touching the wall timidly with his fingertips.   
  
As they walked past an office door labeled 'System Management', Kaiba just had to jiggle the doorknob angrily and strut out. Now, Kaiba was having one of those days, and the last group of people in the universe he wanted to see was one with a violet-eyed, tri-color haired rival of his; a blonde-haired inu (Otherwise known as Jounouchi); and a female who constantly preached to everyone about the importance of friendship.   
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing inside this building?" He snarled, his gravity-defying trenchcoat spreading out around him.   
  
"His eyes aren't blank right now...he must've been released from Malik's control," Anzu muttered into Yuugi's ear, keeping an eye on Kaiba who looked liable to explode any moment.  
  
"Are you aware of the fact that Bakura is downstairs in one of the many rooms here listening to music, Mr. Moneybags? And very loudly, I might add? With his very own body?" Jou perked up, his mouth starting to work itself into talkative mode again.   
  
"I don't care what he might be doing, inu. I never asked for your insight on how loud his music was playing, either."  
  
Anzu brushed Jounouchi out of the way with her arm.   
  
"Not you again," Kaiba growled.  
  
"Why do you always have to say those awful things to Jounouchi? He's no worse than any of us!" Anzu shouted to Jounouchi's defense. Jounouchi was astounded by this behavior. Usually, Yuugi was the one who fended for him.   
  
"You don't have any right to speak to me about what I can and cannot do, you whore."   
  
Yuugi gasped. Anzu still looked quite determined and unaffected by his offending comment, but Yuugi felt that it was time that he stepped in.   
  
"Kaiba, she never did anything to you! Is softening your heart an excuse for you to insult her?"  
  
"And is your Yami leaving an excuse for you to get in my way? I temper is RAGING today, Yuugi, and I can't wait to take it out on something..." He gave Yuugi a death glare. "...or someone."  
  
Yuugi straightened up. "How'd you hear about my Yami?" He felt his face turn crimson, like a kid coloring something red in a coloring book.   
  
"Yuugi, you're known as the top duelist and you seriously think no one knows about the disappearance of your Yami? Give me a break! Even someone as hard-headed as you should know-,"  
  
There was a shrill sounding melody playing that interrupted Kaiba.  
  
"Oh...It's my mobile..." (A/N: I'm not sure if they call cell phones mobiles or cells in Japan, so I'll go with mobile...) Anzu fumbled around in her purse to retrieve the sapphire-colored mobile phone. She had somehow earned the money to replace the one that had been crushed by a Rare Hunter. "Hello?"  
  
"Get Jounouchi on the line! I need to talk to him!" Honda's voice growled from the other end. It sounded like he had gone off the deep end and had went back to being a street kid.   
  
"Right away." She handed it to Jounouchi, who looked as puzzled as everyone else. Except Kaiba.  
  
"Why are you even going to stay here?" Yuugi mumbled to him.  
  
"I live here, dork." Kaiba's annoyed reply caught the young boy's ears and he nodded.   
  
Honda's angry shouting was audible to all around Jounouchi. "AND YOU! YOU WERE IRRESPONSIBLE ENOUGH TO LEAVE OTOUGI HERE WITH SHIZUKA! AND YOU KNOW WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING THIS WHOLE TIME!? DO YOU!!!???"  
  
"N-No," Jounouchi answered shakily, holding the mobile inches away from his ear.   
  
"SHE SAYS HE'S BEEN HITTING ON HER THE WHOLE TIME! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS!?"   
  
"W-what?"   
  
Kaiba snickered at the pathetic reply. Clearly, Jounouchi was turning out to be the coward he had always known him to be. Too afraid of someone on the other side of the line to tell them to stop yelling. Or fight back, for that matter.  
  
"I'LL NEVER HAVE A CHANCE WITH HER!"   
  
Yuugi slapped himself on the forehead. Jounouchi held back a derisive laugh.   
  
"News flash, buddy, there's plenty of fish in the sea, as the traditional saying goes."   
  
"THIS IS SHIZUKA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"  
  
"Honda, I was never good at expressing my feelings over the phone. If you would kindly escort Otougi over here, I'll knock his lights out."  
  
"ARIGATOU!" With that, Honda hung up with a loud clatter.   
  
"Feh. You guys are a worthless bunch. Why I even bothered to stand here and witness this horrid spectacle is beyond me. Now you kiddies better be getting along now. I have so business to tend to." Kaiba strode past them, gathering Mokuba in a short hug at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"I swear, that guy makes me want to jump off several billion cliffs." Yuugi sighed depressingly. Anzu goggled at him. It wasn't like him to give in so easily to pressure.  
  
"No, Yuugi, you should feel like punching him in the face," Anzu told him as Kaiba left the building shortly after Yuugi's last comment.  
  
"He always puts me down. It's just..." Yuugi gave a yearning glance up towards the ceiling. "I just keep thinking about how much longer I can take his retorts and stuff...The more I think about that, the more I just want to..." Yuugi gulped. Anzu put her hands on his shoulders, which were weak.   
  
"Yuugi, we all need you. You can't do that to us all. And you can't let Kaiba's insults get to you. You need to stay strong!"   
  
Yuugi smiled up at his friend with dilating trust.   
  
On the other side of Anzu, stood Jounouchi, who was leaning on the steel railing and looking down at the bottom floor, his eyes shining.  
  
"And what's with you?" Anzu, being her nosey self, leaned over to study Jounouchi's expression carefully.  
  
"I'm just thinking," he responded, standing up straight and stretching. He then relaxed his tensed muscles and continued, "I can't even protect my younger sister from two...guys. I mean, they're friends, but they seem to be abusing the privilege of being my friend lately. Knowing Honda's history with me, he can be pretty rough and violating. Otougi is just girl hungry, no matter how many fangirls surround him. And...I feel so bad about exposing her to these people."   
  
Anzu frowned. "Am I the only one who isn't complentating to end it all right now?"  
  
Yuugi turned to meet her frown with his lovely little innocent look that melted Anzu's heart everytime she saw it.   
  
"We're not complentating anything. We're just feeling bad about ourselves and thinking how cruel life really is."  
  
Anzu sighed in a dispirited way. Then, she took in a deep breath, like she was about to make a very big announcement that was vital to all that lived.  
  
"Life is cruel, but no matter how hard it may seem, there are things you face that are much harder. You have to live life to the fullest because you'll never get that second chance you always hope you will."  
  
Jounouchi turned around when he heard this.  
  
"How can you say something like that? What kind of pain have you been through?"  
  
The girl looked at him through those clear, azure blue eyes.  
  
"Actually, Jounouchi, I've been through more than you know of."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"My my mom and dad died when I was twelve. My mom fell ill one day and died. My heartbroken father died soon after by killing himself. Ever since then, I've been living with my aunt and uncle. What I just told you a while I ago is what I learned as a lesson in life. Remember it."   
  
-----  
  
I just kind of sat there and made up Anzu's past, because as far as I know, there's really nothing in the anime or manga that says anything about her past. And I didn't want her to become some Mary-Sue, even if she's not my character. Yes, Anzu had a pretty harsh past that pretty much led her to nagging everyone to realize the light in friendship and such. =)   
  
And I'm also getting the fearsome idea that people DON'T APPRECIATE THIS FANFIC ANYMORE. If no one reviews this fanfic within 4 days of this chapter's posting, I'll draw it to a close in the next chapter. Or discontinue it. Thank you for understanding, guys, and I hope you make the best choice because I have much in store for this fanfic in the future! 


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